The 2025-26 season is months away from ending for the Ottawa Senators. Through 13 games, the Senators have 14 points with a 6-5-2 overall record.
After the season ends, the Senators will have decisions to make on which players to re-sign or not. There's one free agent above all else on the Senators roster. That is 24-year-old forward Shane Pinto.
Pinto is a restricted free agent after this season. However, if the Senators were to re-sign Pinto during this season, it could take some fun out of free agency when the season ends.
Could 2026's free agency not have much buzz after all?
Today, Bleacher Report's Sara Civian wrote an article titled "All of the Potential Top NHL Free Agents Have Re-Signed, Now What?" While Civian didn't mention Pinto in her article, she did have a fair point about 2026's free agency not being that exciting.
Kirill Kaprizov, Connor McDavid, Jack Eichel, Martin Necas, Kyle Connor, Logan Cooley, Lane Hutson and Thomas Harley were all going to be upcoming free agents down the road. Now, all of them have been re-signed by their respected teams. Pinto is a player who could be next to take away another free agent this Summer.
Pinto's 12 points this season are the third highest on the Senators roster. Pinto's eight goals are tied for the third most in the NHL, and lead the Senators.
Pinto has turned into one of the most important players on the Senators roster. Eventually, Pinto will get himself a nice new contract. However, if Pinto is re-signed by the Senators this season, the 2026 free agency may not be an exciting one for the team.
After Pinto, the Senators have Claude Giroux, David Perron, Lars Eller, Nick Jensen, Jordan Spence, Nick Cousins, Olle Lycksell and Leevi Merilainen that are all free agents. Even with the importance those players may carry on the team, they're not as talked about as Pinto is.
If the Senators re-sign Pinto during this season, the team will take care of their biggest objective for the offseason. However, to Civian's point, it would take more fun out of the 2026 free agency.
Another name like Pinto puts less entertainment for the 2026 free agency, and bigger names would be off the board.